The invention relates to a navigation system and method having a display device for displaying a maximal number of driving lanes.
In recent years, vehicle navigation systems have established themselves by which a driver is guided in a satellite-supported manner on a route determined by the navigation system from a starting location to a place of destination. In this case, the routing is based on the display of streets or roads and direction arrows. In the case of future navigation systems, the routing is to take place even on the basis of driving lanes of a street or road. Here, it will be problematic to display the thereby increased amount of information, particularly on roads with many driving lanes, in such a manner that the information can rapidly and intuitively be detected by the driver on the relative small display devices of the vehicle navigation systems whose display capacity is physically limited or limited with respect to programs.
It is therefore an object of the invention to indicate a lane-based navigation system and method which can also be used together with a display device of a predefined type on roads or streets with many driving lanes.
The invention is therefore based on the idea that, on a display device of a navigation system that is designed only for a display of a predefined maximal number of graphic driving lane objects, this maximal number of graphic driving lane objects will only be displayed when the actual number of driving lanes of the momentarily traveled street or road is greater than the maximal number of displayable graphic driving lane objects. In this case, a graphic driving lane object includes, for example, a stylized driving lane display.
For this purpose, a navigation system and method preferably has a display device particularly for the stylized display of a predefined maximal number of graphic driving lane objects and a control device which is arranged such that the actual number of driving lanes of a street or road is determined, and that a maximal number of graphic driving lane objects is displayed on the display device only when the maximal number is smaller than the actual number. The remaining driving lanes are not shown.
According to the invention, it is first achieved that an economically producible navigation system can be used in a faultless manner also when the number of driving lanes of a street or road is greater than the maximal number of driving lanes or graphic driving lane objects that can be displayed by the display device of the navigation system.
A driving-lane-based routing can be detected particularly intuitively by the driver in that at least one graphic driving lane replacement object representing the not displayed (omitted) driving lanes, such as, for example, by the display of three points or stops (“ellipses”), when the maximal number is smaller than the actual number. The at least one graphic driving lane replacement object informs the driver of one or more not displayed (omitted) driving lanes.
The display can be detected even more intuitively when a display of the at least one graphic driving lane replacement object superimposed on the display of the maximal number of graphic driving lane replacement objects takes place such that the position of the display of the graphic driving lane replacement object corresponds to the position of the at least one driving lane that is not shown. The graphic driving lane replacement object therefore also informs the driver of the position of one or more not displayed driving lanes relative to the position of the driving lanes displayed by way of the graphic driving lane objects.
The graphic driving lane replacement object, which symbolizes a further expansion of the street or road in the lateral direction, is preferably displayed on the half or the quarter of the display device on which the incomplete or omitted portion of the street or road would have been displayed.
Particularly preferably, the graphic driving lane replacement object is displayed in a manner superimposed on the graphic driving lane object or the graphic driving lane objects which, although they do not represent the outermost driving lane of the street or road, are displayed on the outside on the display device because of the limited size of the display device.
As an alternative to the superimposed display, the display of the graphic driving lane replacement object takes place adjacent to the display of the maximal number of graphic driving lane objects, the position of the display of the graphic driving lane replacement object, particularly as described above, corresponding to the position of the not displayed driving lanes.
As an alternative, the display of the graphic driving lane replacement object takes place instead of the display of one graphic driving lane object or the graphic driving lane objects situated on the extreme outside, the position of the display of the graphic driving lane replacement object, particularly as described above, corresponding to the position of the not displayed driving lanes. Therefore, when the actual number is greater than the maximal number, only a maximal number of graphic driving lane objects is displayed that is reduced by one or two, and, in addition, one or two graphic driving lane replacement objects are displayed.
In addition or as an alternative, the intuitive, reliable and rapid detectability of the displayed driving-lane-based routing is increased in that two graphic street or road boundary objects are displayed on the display device when the maximal number is at least as large as the actual number; in that only one or no graphic street or road boundary object is displayed when the maximal number is smaller than the actual number; and in that the display of a graphic street or road boundary object, particularly with respect to the display of the graphic driving lane replacement object, takes place along the display of a graphic driving lane object representing the outermost driving lane of the street or road.
Preferably, the driving lanes are displayed by use of graphic driving lane objects which are suitable, determined or provided for following the route determined by the navigation system when the maximal number is smaller than the actual number. Thus, when the number of actual driving lanes exceeds the number of driving lanes that can be maximally displayed on the display device by means of graphic driving lane objects, the driving lanes which are (particularly) suitable for following the route determined by the navigation system are selected for the display by use of the graphic driving lane objects. When a street or road has, for example, six driving lanes but only four of those driving lanes can be displayed by graphic driving lane objects on the display device, at least the driving lane or at least the two, three or four driving lanes are displayed by graphic driving lane objects which are particularly suitable for following the route determined by the navigation system. The driving lanes which are not suitable for following the route determined by the navigation system are not displayed or preferably not displayed. As a result, the amount of displayed information is particularly reduced to essential information, so that a driver still has an overall picture even in complex traffic and road situations.
Particularly preferably, it is provided that the driving lanes are displayed by graphic driving lane objects which, in the next turn-off situation (intersection, street or road entrance, highway entrance ramp, highway exit ramp, street crossing, pedestrian crossing, etc.), are suitable for following the route determined by the navigation system. Particularly those driving lanes are displayed by graphic driving lane objects that can be retained in the next turn-off situation for reaching the destination. As a result, the driver is guided in a simple and rapidly detectable manner early onto the correct driving lane.
In addition, it is preferably provided that the driving lanes are displayed by graphic driving lane objects which, in the next but one turn-off situation, are suitable for following the route determined by the navigation system. Particularly those driving lanes are displayed by graphic driving lane objects which can be retained at the next but one turn-off situation for reaching the destination. As a result, the driver is guided still earlier onto the correct driving lane.
A particularly preferred further development of the invention provides that, superimposed on the display of driving lanes that are suitable for following the route determined by the navigation system, one graphic driving direction object respectively is displayed, such as a directional arrow or a turn-off arrow, which describes the route determined by the navigation system, particularly in the next turn-off situation.
In particular, one graphic driving direction object respectively is displayed in a manner superimposed on the graphic driving lane objects that can be retained in the next and/or the next but one turn-off situation, in order to reach the destination.
The invention naturally also includes navigation systems where the invention or its further developments are not implemented in each driving situation, particularly where the displays according to the invention appear only in certain driving situations or road or street situations.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of one or more preferred embodiments when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.